Floor jack



FLooR JACK Filed Aug. 14, 1951 -2- '"'f la I/ lo ,le S s l A l l' Y' 'l :z Ilz' a I Il .Il ll I! Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR JACK Jack E. Howard, Reisterstown, Md. Application August 14, 1951, Serial No. 241,719

1 claim. l

This invention relates to an improvement in a oor jack used for forcing the boards of the floor together Iin the process of laying a tongue and groove iloor.

When a floor is laid, it is an easy matter to drive the boards together so that there are no cracks between the boards until the boards approach closely to the wall completing the floor. In the crowded space allowed at the end there is not room to place a section of a board against the laid boards, to avoid scarring the laid boards and then driving the laid boards into close relationship. The jack of the instant invention is intended to t against the vertical wall of the room and it has a lever which may be placed in adjusted positions -in bars projecting from the base of the jack, and by forcing upon the lever the boards may be forced close together.

The object of the invention is to make such a jack as will perform this forcing of the boards together simply and rmly. Another object is to make a jack for this purpose which is simple and inexpensive in construction. Another object of the invention is to make a floor jack which is adjustable for various width boards. Another object of the invention is to make a jack which will not injure the bead on the board being forced. Another object of the invention is to make a jack which will work up quite close to the vertical wall of the room where the floor is being laid.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

Figure l is a top plan view looking down upon the jack positioned to force the final board ofthe floor in place.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the jack.

In the drawings similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The boards I .and 2 of the door are in process of being laid.

Board I has been forced into position and nailed down.

Board 2 is ready to be forced into position to close the crack between the boards I and 2.

The vertical wall 3 of the room has between it and board 2 insufcient space for the usual block to be placed to drive board 2 against board I In this situation the jack having a base 4 with rearwardly projecting bars 5 and 5 connected centrally to the base is placed with the base against the vertical wall 3 and with the bars l5 and 6 extendingoutwardly at right angles to the board 2 across'the top of the board. The bars v5 and 6 have therein notches 'l and 8 respectively which are aligned parallel to the base '4. The lever 9 having a fulcrum Hl therein is placed between bars 5 and 6 and the fulcrum I9 placed in the appropriate pair of notches to get the proper leverage :upon the board 2. The lever has at its lower end a jaw 2l! with a forwardly extending flange I2 at the top. The lever is preferably positioned so that the flange I 2 bears against the edge of the board above the bead or tongue l 3 so that the bead may not be mashed or injured by the jaw i I of the lever. In the position shown in Figure 2 the lever 9 is ready to be moved toward the vertical wall of the room, in the direction indicated by the arrows. Such movement will force board 2 closely against board I and close the space therebetween.

The base 4 of the jack is cut out at the lower edge as illustrated at M so that the jaw I I of the lever may come back into the plane of the base 4 as illustrated in Figure 2, so that the jack will work effectively to force the last board together When the space remaining between that board and the vertical wall is ever so slight, not allowing for the insertion of a thick forcing member of any type, except the jack of the instant invention, without injury to the bead of the board.

Having described the jack and its manner of operation, it will be apparent that various modications may be made in its most simple constrution without departing from the invention as defined in the following claim.

What is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A floor jack comprising a fiat elongated base plate, spaced fulcrum bars substantially as long as the width of two boards extending perpendicularly from the back of the plate centrally of its upper edge, the bars having therein a plurality of pairs of notches each pair being aligned parallel with the long dimension of the plate, a freely swinging lever extending between the bars having a fulcrum adjacent the lower end thereof adapted to pivot in a pair of said notches and a wide iiat jaw on the lower end of the lever parallel to the plate when in the pivotal movement of the lower end of the lever it is parallel to the base, a liange across the top of said jaw projecting away from the plate and extending from the jaw a distance greater than the length of a tongue on the tongued and grooved board, adapted to extend against the top edge of a tongued board and over the tongue, the elongated base having a central section cut from its lower long edge, whereby the lower edge of the jaw may be swung substantially into the plane of the face of the base to engage a board close to the oor edge.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 123,347 Hoyt Feb. 6, 1872 ll75,76fl Garren May 3l, 1892 1,694,651 Hackman Dec. 11, 1928 

